I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to clamp assemblies and, more particularly, to a quick release clamp assembly having an adjustable bolt.
II. Description of Related Art
There are many previously known lever-operated clamps that are used for temporarily clamping items to a structure. For example, such clamps are oftentimes used for assembly work in order to properly secure and position pieces for assembly during the assembly process.
These previously known lever-operated clamps typically include a base which is secured to a substructure or support of some sort. One end of an elongated clamping arm is pivotally mounted to the base so that the clamping arm is movable along a direction of movement between a hold position and a release position. An elongated lever is then pivotally mounted to both the base as well as the clamping arm. This lever is movable between a first position and a second position which simultaneously moves the clamp arm from its hold position and release position.
Conventionally, an elongated bolt is adjustably mounted to a free end of the clamp arm so that a free end of the bolt is adjustable relative to the clamped surface. Oftentimes, a resilient or elastomeric cap is provided on the free end of the bolt in order to protect the work being clamped from marring or other damage.
In order to attach the bolt to the free end of the clamp arm, these previously known clamp assemblies, oftentimes called quick release clamp assemblies, include an elongated bore. The bore is formed at the free end of the clamp arm so that the axis of the bore is substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the clamp arm.
These previously known clamp assemblies typically slide the bolt attached to the cap through a hole at the end of the clamp arm. A first nut is then positioned below the clamp arm while a second nut is positioned above the clamp arm and both nuts threadably engage the bolt. Consequently, rotation of the bolt relative to the nuts adjusts the position of the cap relative to the clamp arm and thus adjusts the distance between the bolt cap and the workpiece when the clamp arm is moved to its hold position. Furthermore, the relative position of the bolt relative to the clamp arm along the direction of movement is adjustable by adjusting the rotation of the nuts on the bolt.
One disadvantage of this previously known adjustment mechanism for the clamp assembly, however, is that it is relatively difficult and awkward to quickly and/or accurately adjust the position of the bolt relative to the clamp arm. This difficulty results, in large part, since both nuts, i.e. the nut on top of the clamp arm and the nut on the bottom of the clamp arm, must simultaneously be adjusted in order to change the length of the bolt relative to the clamp arm.
Clamp assemblies of the above-described type are manufactured by a company known as DeStaCo as well as other companies.